Selasa, 08 Desember 2009

Not only does Ford rank number one on J.D. Power and Associate's 2009 navigation system survey, it ranks number two as well. The top ranking system, according to Power's study, is the one found in the Lincoln MKS, followed by a nearly identical system (if not 100% identical) in the Ford Flex. And get this, Ford took down five of the top ten spots with the F-150 coming in fourth and the Escape and Edge taking seventh and eighth place, respectively.

To anyone that's driven a modern Sync-equipped Ford with navigation, these survey results probably won't come as any sort of shock, as FoMoCo has been making some of the best systems in the business ever since they released Sync with Sirius Travel Link. Here's what Ford user interface design engineer Jason Johnson had to tell us about why Ford got ranked tops:

"I think what really makes our system stand out is the fact it's designed with the user in mind. Yes, it has all the features you'd expect from a high-level navigation system -- the 3-D maps, the digital jukebox, the customizable home screens, and of course we pride ourselves on SYNC and SIRIUS Travel Link -- but it's more than that. This system is easy to use. It's intuitive. The buttons are where you'd expect them to be, the grouping is logical and the graphics are bright and easy to read. Everything is integrated, so it all works together, simply and easily."

Non-Ford top ten nav-system finishers include the Acura TL (third), Porsche 911 (fifth), Cadillac CTS (sixth), Hyundai Genesis (ninth) and Infiniti FX-series (tenth). Interestingly, Ford is the only non-luxury/premium brand to make it into the top ten. If you were wondering, seven of the bottom ten nav-systems were made by Toyota, with the Avalon finishing dead last. Complete results list and official press release available after the jump.

More Danica Patrick news and this time, it's actually racing related. Last week came a report that Ms. Patrick had inked a multi-year deal with the recently restructured Andretti Autosport, putting to rest the rumors that the sometime-swimsuit model was headed to NASCAR. Well, Sporting News is now reporting that the gun might have been jumped on that conclusion. It seems that the GoDaddy pitchwoman is about to announce a deal to drive for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR Nationwide Series team in 2010.

SN is reporting that Danica will run the full IndyCar calendar and a limited Nationwide schedule, with GoDaddy sponsoring her stock car. According to the GoDaddy website, the formal announcement will come at 1 PM ET Tuesday, December 8. We'll be sure to watch for that announcement and update as needed.

Jumat, 06 November 2009

Here's what we know: Caccia Custom Cars took a 2002 Chevy Camaro and a 2002 Chevy Corvette and created the Ghepardo. The car uses the Camaro's frame and the Corvette's motor and suspension. The motor is mounted amidships, albeit backwards (note the throttle body). And the House of Kolor paint is called Pagan Gold. Also, you should not confuse this SEMA all-star Ghepardo with the 2006 Bizzarrini Ghepardo concept.

As for this Ghepadro... it's not that bad looking. In fact, the longer we stare at the exterior, the more we like what we see. Obviously we can't get past the gaudy chainmail armor covering up every single vent and opening. And we'd prefer if the five-slot wheels weren't chromed. That said, in profile, it's a nice looking mid-engine coupe and the rear is quite muscular. The front even has a touch of new Lexus, which while sacriligious for a Chevy-on-Chevy mashup like this, ain't bad at all.

The interior, on the other hand, is a house of horrors. Everything is covered over in prison-grade Alcantara or carbon fiber-look fiberglass. Even the fire extinguisher!! Also, we're pretty sure a 15/16" cutting tool isn't the smartest Dremel attachment to use for a show car. In fact, in this Autoblogger's mind, the Ghepardo is now in the running neck-and-neck with the Masonry Vitesse Rose for having the worst interior ever – quite a distinction! Additionally, the Ghepardo fills our minds with the delightful image of Corvette and Camaro fans/owners beating each other to pulps with giant oversized cartoon hammers. Perhaps that's just the food around here talking...

Ghepardo by Caccia Custom Cars

Remember Toyota's massive 3.8 million unit unintended acceleration recall that was attributed to pesky floor mats? It appears defective floor mats doesn't tell the whole story, as the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared in a statement that "this (unintended acceleration) matter is not closed," adding "removal of the floor mats is simply an interim measure, not a remedy of the underlying defect in the vehicles."

Up to 2,000 Toyota customers claim to have experienced a sudden surge of acceleration, and some reportedly told ABC News that they didn't even have the recalled floor mats in their vehicles. Even more disturbing are the results of an ABC News investigation that reportedly found "hundreds" of accidents and up to 16 deaths as a result of unintended acceleration.

Four of those deaths occurred in August when an off-duty California Highway Patrol Officer, traveling with his wife, daughter and brother in-law, were killed after their Lexus accelerated uncontrollably. The driver's brother in-law called 911 and said that the brakes didn't work before the vehicle reached an intersection, struck another car, went into a ditch and caught fire. Some Toyota owners feel there is an electronic glitch in the system that controls the throttle and the ABC report shows that there is some anecdotal evidence which illustrates that incidents rose after the system was put into place in 2002, but so far, NHTSA has found no evidence to support those claims after six investigations.

ABC News caught up with Toyota Vice President Yukitoshi Funo (pictured second from left) and asked him if Toyota was covering anything up. Funo replied "It is not part of the Toyota culture and Toyota way to cover up anything," adding that the Japanese automaker is working with NHTSA to come up with an agreement on how to proceed going forward.

If you own a Toyota or Lexus and you are concerned about this issue, it appears that there is little that will be done in the short term other than tie down or remove the floor mats. If you do experience the acceleration issue, Consumer Reports suggests shifting your vehicle into neutral, pressing the brake and holding it down in an effort to bring your vehicle to a stop. This post and video from CR demonstrates how to effectively resolve the situation, and the risks of pumping the brakes. Turning off your vehicle could be a bad idea, as turning off the engine will also result in the loss of power steering and power brakes.

Since there are approximately one trillion iPhones in the world and about ten-times as many apps, it's not hard to find a program to suit your needs. But in the automotive sphere, there aren't nearly as many quality applications and even fewer that can deliver the information most gearheads crave. Thankfully, DevToaster has answered the call with Rev, and putting out the 2.0 release of its popular diagnostic and performance program.

In addition to offering code-reading and clearing features, along with OBD metrics for everything from coolant temp to throttle position (full features here), Rev includes built-in metrics for lateral and forward acceleration to calculate horsepower and torque, saved vehicles, GPS tracking and data-logging. In a bid to make the program more user friendly on the fly, it's reworked its interface to make it easier to edit the visual representations for the virtual (and customizable) gauges and graphs.

Although it's $39.99 App Store price seems like a deal considering its capabilities, the steep price of the company's wireless OBD-II controller ($149.99, pictured at right) is slightly harder to swallow. However, DevToaster is working on bringing the cost of the unit down in the near future and hopes to bring out both a series of "fun," "green" utilities and has talked with Google about developing a version for Android phones. Look for a full review of the 2.0 software soon.

Every year, around the world, drivers compete wheel to wheel in all manner of racing series, from rally to F1, touring cars to Le Mans and everything in between. It gives racing fans plenty of varied action to follow, but it leaves one question ultimately unanswered: who is the world's best driver? That's where the Race of Champions comes in.

The event has been held every year since 1988 at the end of the regular racing season, giving the world's best from all manner of racing series the world over a chance to compete against one another on equal footing and common ground. And this year's Race of Champions was no less decisive. Follow the jump to read who claimed victory as the champion of champions.

Race of Champions 2009

Sabtu, 10 Oktober 2009

Welcome to the second installment of our Introduction to Karting series. Hopefully the first piece piqued your interest with tales of tiny machines pulling 3 g in the corners then hitting 60 in under three seconds on their way up to over 140 MPH. (Well over, as it turns out; one commenter indicated he hit an indicated 156 this season.) That kind of performance is unequaled outside of top-level formula motorsport, yet is available to anyone with some disposable income and a passion for going quick.

However, karting isn't for everyone so suitably endowed. The physical demands placed on a kart racer are hard to comprehend until you're in a fast turn, holding your breath because you can't inhale, feeling like your head is going to fly off and land somewhere in the pits. Chances are it won't, but whether or not you can withstand that while maintaining a good racing line and keeping an eye on a swarm of opponents is an important thing to find out before breaking out the charge card. The best way is, of course, to try it, and given the big up-front cost to buy a kart, a rental is the way to go.

To get our first real experience we signed up for an afternoon's racing school. We walked the track, worked with multiple instructors, got a lot of advice, had an impromptu race, and stuck it out for way more seat time than was probably advisable for a newbie. How'd we do? Read on to find out, and see some videos of our on (and, occasionally, off) track antics.

Jumat, 05 Juni 2009

Over the last several years, we've heard a lot of excuses from many auto executives as to why their companies aren't offering diesel engines in their American market cars. Yesterday, General Motors' Mark LaNeve, the company's vice president of sales and marketing, made an appearance on C-SPAN's Washington Journal. The final question of the segment came from a viewer wondering why GM has failed to offer U.S. consumers the chance to buy some of the high-mileage diesel cars it offers in Europe.

It would appear that LaNeve might have done better to take a pass on the question. Instead of talking about the cost of making those diesels meet U.S. emissions regulations or the difficulty in helping Americans overcome the misconceptions about the fuel, he claimed that no one has successfully cracked the diesel passenger nut in the U.S. (which based on VW's May sales appears to be wrong). More startlingly, LaNeve went on to claim that diesel is $1.25 a gallon more expensive than gasoline. According to the Energy Information Agency, the national average for diesel this week is $2.35 / gallon while regular gas is $2.52 or $0.17 more than diesel. Admittedly, the fact that diesel is now cheaper than 87 octane gas is a recent development (a trend that nobody is sure how long it will last), but – going on national television and quoting outdated fuel prices as a reason for your bankrupt company's business decisions... well, that doesn't strike us as a terribly hot idea.

Selasa, 31 Maret 2009

Nissan has released today the first Nissan Qazana teaser image showing a headlight of the show car that will be premiered at this year's Geneva Motor Show. The Nissan Qazana previews a new compact model that will be built at the company's Sunderland plant from 2010. The company describes the Nissan Qazana as being a five-door small Crossover. The press release also mentions that the Nissan Qazana will feature suicide doors. Gallery: Nissan Qazana teaser

The Nissan Qazana has been designed in Britain and represents a 57 million pounds investment that will create around 1,100 jobs.

The Nissan Qazana price has not been announced yet.Nissan Press Release:

Qazana Show Car

The star of the Nissan stand will be Qazana, a show car providing a good indication of the, as yet unnamed, compact car that will be produced at the Nissan Sunderland plant from 2010, safeguarding around 1,100 jobs.Best described as a small Crossover, Qazana has been conceived to challenge conventional wisdom about what buyers of small five-door cars should expect.

The striking design is dominated by large, wide wheel arches and a lower shape which gives a feeling of strength, while the upper body is dynamic, assertive and sporty. Qazana is a five-door, with the rear doors opening forwards once the front doors have been opened, in the style of ‘suicide doors’.

Qazana will reinforce Nissan’s position as a Nissan Qazana teaser Gallery: Nissan Qazana teaserpioneer of Crossovers, building on the success of Qashqai and the recently introduced Qashqai+2.

Trial builds of the production car will begin in early 2010 before its introduction on the Micra/Note line. There it will take up manufacturing capacity created when production of the current version of Micra ends later that same year.

The new model has been designed and developed in the UK and represents around £57m of investment. Its arrival takes the total investment by Nissan in the Sunderland plant to around £2.5b since 1984.

Trevor Mann, Nissan Senior Vice President for Manufacturing in Europe, commented: “The difficulties currently facing the car industry have been widely documented, and Nissan has not been immune. As a result we have had to make some difficult decisions, but the reason we have done so is to secure a long and positive future for the plant. Qazana points the way to that future and gives an indication of the unique and exciting car we will be producing in Sunderland next year.”

Nissan looks set to have a fairly busy Geneva motor show. Top of the bill will be the new Qazana. It’s a compact crossover, and along the lines of a scaled-down Qashqai. The latter has been a hugely successful model for Nissan, the SUV/hatch helping the company post some respectable sales figures in the current climate.

Little else is known, other than that the Qazana is an all-UK effort. Its design and development have all took place in Britain while the car will replace Micra production at Nissan’s factory in Sunderland from 2010. That safeguards 1100 jobs at the North East plant that has recently seen its first major job cuts.

Also on Nissan’s Geneva show stand will be the 370Z, getting its first European public appearance, and the Cube which comes to Europe for the first time in November. It has been a bit of an icon in its Japanese homeland for years and has attracted a bit of a hardcore fanbase over here. It will finally be available officially with a 109bhp 1.6-litre petrol and 105bhp 1.5-litre diesel on offer.

Come back to evo.co.uk from March 3 to get the latest live stories from Geneva, including the unveil of the Qazana concept.

The Nissan Qazana makes its first ever appearance at the Geneva Motor Show today. Inspired by a simple desire to have fun behind the wheel, Qazana shows that mind-numbing motoring could be a thing of the past.

Officially it's a showcar, a study into how a small car of the future could look. But with the announcement that a small crossover – a baby brother to Qashqai – will be built at the company's Sunderland factory in the UK, Qazana's significance should not be underestimated.

"The Qazana concept is an intelligent, all-wheel drive crossover which is masculine, agile, lean, and designed for the tough city streets. Our team at Nissan Design Europe in London realised this image with the motif of a modern day beach buggy and four-seat motor-bike," explains Atsushi Maeda, Studio Chief Designer, Nissan Design Europe.

According to Matt Weaver, project lead designer at NDE, Qazana was designed to be sophisticated but fun. "It's a hugely optimistic car, which is no bad thing in these difficult times. Had it been created in the 1960s, it would have counted camper vans, bikes and buggies as its rivals. Infused with that same spirit, there's nothing quite like it available today."

Challenges traditionIn the same way that Nissan re-wrote the rule-book when it introduced Qashqai two years ago, so Qazana is ready to do it again. By approaching the small car market from a totally different direction, Qazana invigorates, stimulates and rejuvenates the traditional town runabout.

Compact dimensionsCompact overall dimensions (4060mm in length, 1570mm tall, 1780 wide and a wheelbase of 2530mm) mean Qazana would be ideally suited to the urban environment. Yet its advanced specification and energetic styling suggest an ability that goes far beyond the city walls.

By mixing SUV and sports car styling cues, NDE's design team has created a highly individual Crossover quite unlike anything else on the road. The tall stance, truncated rear styling and short front and rear overhangs underscore its feeling of robustness and strength, but the low roof line, assertive side window graphic and broad shoulders hint at a sporting ability absent in traditional all-wheel drives.

At the same time, rounded elements – notably the wheel arches and bonnet – evoke a friendly ambiance and provide a link with existing Nissan Crossovers. Indeed, Qazana has the signature Crossover design detail in the rising window line at the rear, also found on Murano and Qashqai.

Says Weaver: "Qazana follows in Qashqai's wheel tracks by challenging convention. Externally Qazana adds a number of existing Nissan design cues – including a variation on the 'boomerang' rear light theme from 370Z – to a highly distinctive shape that's unlike anything else in the company's current design portfolio."

Crossover stylingThe profile is dominated by the prominent wheel arches and by the body's high waistline, which combine to give an impression of strength and which contrast vividly with the slim side windows. Echoing a style first seen on Mixim, Nissan's high performance electric coupé concept shown at the 2007 Frankfurt Show, the glasshouse resembles a crash helmet visor.

Although it appears at first glance to be a two-door coupé, Qazana has a further pair of rear-hinged half doors to ease access to the rear compartment. All the doors are electrically operated and for safety reasons the rear pair can only be activated once the fronts have been opened. With no conventional B-pillar, access to the interior couldn't be easier.

One notable feature of the roof-line is the virtually straight cant rail above the doors which adds further to the strength of the profile. The roof itself has a pair of thin glass inserts running the full length of the roof which allow slithers of natural light into the cabin.

This contrast between sporty performance and all-terrain potential is underlined by the venturi-style skid plate at the rear of the vehicle, Qazana's extended ground clearance and the soft rubber spats which edge the wheel arches and help to disguise the vehicle's long suspension travel. The graphite coloured spats contrast vividly with the bold exterior colour, a unique shade called White Titanium, and the strikingly styled20 inch black chrome alloy wheels.

Distinctive frontal aspectThe car's face is dominated by four headlamps. Two lower circular lamps set within the bumper contrast with a pair of daylight running strips mounted high on the wings on either side of the bonnet: the look is of a rally car preparing for a night stage.

While the full width grille, dominated by Nissan's centrally mounted badge, is an interpretation of current Nissan styling, its construction is not. A one-piece acrylic moulding, no cooling air can pass through the grille. Instead, the lower portion of the bumper, finished in a contrasting graphite colour, is dominated by a number of large holes for air to reach the radiator. See-through acrylic mouldings are also used for the door mirrors.

The interior has been designed as an extension of the exterior thanks to a clever interplay between hard and soft materials. Rather than being completely enveloped in leather for example, elements of the lightweight carbon fibre seat structure are on permanent view, appearing to have 'broken through' the covering. The centre portion of the backrests features a mesh material, allowing fresh air to circulate around the occupants.

Like the seats, the metal sections of the centre console seem to have forced their way through the leather covering while the internal door-frame is part exposed so that the door pull appears to be hewn from solid metal.

Motorcycle inspired interiorAdding further to the mechanical feel of the interior, the shape of the centre console and armrest has been inspired by the fuel tank and seat of a sports motocycle. Paul Ray, senior interior designer at NDE, is a keen rider. "I enjoy the sensation of being at one with my bike and wanted to capture that feeling in Qazana," he says.

"The way the structure appears through the fabric of the interior also reflects motorcycle design and construction."

Accentuating the practical side of the car, Qazana has 'floating' seats centrally mounted over a one-piece rubberised floor covering, creating an openness in the cockpit. Grooves cut in the flooring are replicated on the seats themselves.

The dashboard is dominated by a centrally mounted screen. As well as doubling as a navigation display, it will deliver vital information relating to Nissan's next generation fully electronic ALL MODE four-wheel drive with torque vectoring system and other advanced technical processes found on board, including integrated communications systems. Using an intuitive touch-screen interface, the driver will be able to adjust the air-conditioning and other key vehicle settings.

Alfonso Albaisa, Vice President, Nissan Design Europe, says: "When it comes to design, Nissan has developed a reputation for constantly delivering something different. The global success of Qashqai has proven that the car buying public is fed up with the conventional... but we are not prepared to sit on our laurels. Qazana might seem a radical solution but important elements of the concept do point to a future Nissan production vehicle.

We're just back from checking out the Nissan Qazana, and we're happy to report that it's every bit as zany as it looks in the stock images we saw seen earlier. In fact, it almost looks Gallic, like something from Citroen or Peugeot, or perhaps something reverse-engineered from a Paris-Dakar rally special. We're not entirely sure if (and/or how) the big-fendered, narrow-greenhouse look will translate to Nissan's planned production compact crossover, and we're quite sure that the rear-hinged suicide doors won't see showrooms when the Qashqai receives a kid brother. For now, we're enjoying its novel lighting (including the pair of crazy large front driving lamps and the fender-ridge daytime-running lamps, along with well-integrated boomerang taillamps) and red-velvet cake interior.

Nissan on Tuesday revealed its Qazana crossover concept at the Geneva Motor. Nissan says the five-door crossover will lead to a production model in relatively short order, with assembly beginning in early 2010. Nissan has described the car as a “baby brother” to the Qashqai compact SUV.

“Qazana points the way to that future and gives an indication of the unique and exciting car we will be producing,” said Trevor Mann, Nissan Senior Vice President for Manufacturing in Europe.

The design is dominated by large, wide wheel arches and a lower stance. The vehicle appears to be geared toward European and Asian markets, but that doesn’t necessarily rule out North American sales.

“The Qazana concept is an intelligent, all-wheel drive crossover which is masculine, agile, lean, and designed for the tough city streets. Our team at Nissan Design Europe in London realized this image with the motif of a modern day beach buggy and four-seat motor-bike,” said Atsushi Maeda, Studio Chief Designer, Nissan Design Europe.

According to Matt Weaver, project lead designer at NDE, Qazana was designed to be fun. “It’s a hugely optimistic car, which is no bad thing in these difficult times. Had it been created in the 1960s, it would have counted camper vans, bikes and buggies as its rivals. Infused with that same spirit, there’s nothing quite like it available today.”

Nissan plans to build the vehicle at its Sunderland plant in the United Kingdom.

The Nissan Qazana made its first ever appearance at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Inspired by a simple desire to have fun behind the wheel, Qazana shows that mind-numbing motoring could be a thing of the past.

Officially it's a showcar, a study into how a small car of the future could look. But with the announcement that a small crossover - a baby brother to Qashqai - will be built at the company's Sunderland factory in the UK, Qazana's significance should not be underestimated.

"The Qazana concept isÂ an intelligent, all-wheel drive crossover which is masculine, agile, lean, and designed for the tough city streets. Our teamÂ at Nissan Design Europe in LondonÂ realised this image with the motif of a modern day beach buggy and four-seat motor-bike," explains Atsushi Maeda, Studio Chief Designer, Nissan Design Europe.

According to Matt Weaver, project lead designer at NDE, Qazana was designed to be sophisticated but fun. "It's a hugely optimistic car, which is no bad thing in these difficult times. Had it been created in the 1960s, it would have counted camper vans, bikes and buggies as its rivals. Infused with that same spirit, there's nothing quite like it available today."

In the same way that Nissan re-wrote the rule-book when it introduced Qashqai two years ago, so Qazana is ready to do it again. By approaching the small car market from a totally different direction, Qazana invigorates, stimulates and rejuvenates the traditional town runabout.

Compact overall dimensions (4060mm in length, 1570mm tall, 1780 wide and a wheelbase of 2530mm) mean Qazana would be ideally suited to the urban environment. Yet its advanced specification and energetic styling suggest an ability that goes far beyond the city walls.

By mixing SUV and sports car styling cues, NDE's design team has created a highly individual Crossover quite unlike anything else on the road. The tall stance, truncated rear styling and short front and rear overhangs underscore its feeling of robustness and strength, but the low roof line, assertive side window graphic and broad shoulders hint at a sporting ability absent in traditional all-wheel drives.

At the same time, rounded elements - notably the wheel arches and bonnet - evoke a friendly ambiance and provide a link with existing Nissan Crossovers. Indeed, Qazana has the signature Crossover design detail in the rising window line at the rear, also found on Murano and Qashqai.

Says Weaver: "Qazana follows in Qashqai's wheel tracks by challenging convention. Externally Qazana adds a number of existing Nissan design cues - including a variation on the 'boomerang' rear light theme from 370Z - to a highly distinctive shape that's unlike anything else in the company's current design portfolio."

The profile is dominated by the prominent wheel arches and by the body's high waistline, which combine to give an impression of strength and which contrast vividly with the slim side windows. Echoing a style first seen on Mixim, Nissan's high performance electric coupé concept shown at the 2007 Frankfurt Show, the glasshouse resembles a crash helmet visor.

Although it appears at first glance to be a two-door coupé, Qazana has a further pair of rear-hinged half doors to ease access to the rear compartment. All the doors are electrically operated and for safety reasons the rear pair can only be activated once the fronts have been opened. With no conventional B-pillar, access to the interior couldn't be easier.

One notable feature of the roof-line is the virtually straight cant rail above the doors which adds further to the strength of the profile. The roof itself has a pair of thin glass inserts running the full length of the roof which allow slithers of natural light into the cabin.

This contrast between sporty performance and all-terrain potential is underlined by the venturi-style skid plate at the rear of the vehicle, Qazana's extended ground clearance and the soft rubber spats which edge the wheel arches and help to disguise the vehicle's long suspension travel. The graphite coloured spats contrast vividly with the bold exterior colour, a unique shade called White Titanium, and the strikingly styled â€¨20 inch black chrome alloy wheels.

The car's face is dominated by four headlamps. Two lower circular lamps set within the bumper contrast with a pair of daylight running strips mounted high on the wings on either side of the bonnet: the look is of a rally car preparing for a night stage.

While the full width grille, dominated by Nissan's centrally mounted badge, is an interpretation of current Nissan styling, its construction is not. A one-piece acrylic moulding, no cooling air can pass through the grille. Instead, the lower portion of the bumper, finished in a contrasting graphite colour, is dominated by a number of large holes for air to reach the radiator. See-through acrylic mouldings are also used for the door mirrors.

The interior has been designed as an extension of the exterior thanks to a clever interplay between hard and soft materials. Rather than being completely enveloped in leather for example, elements of the lightweight carbon fibre seat structure are on permanent view, appearing to have 'broken through' the covering. The centre portion of the backrests features a mesh material, allowing fresh air to circulate around the occupants.

Like the seats, the metal sections of the centre console seem to have forced their way through the leather covering while the internal door-frame is part exposed so that the door pull appears to be hewn from solid metal.

Adding further to the mechanical feel of the interior, the shape of the centre console and armrest has been inspired by the fuel tank and seat of a sports motocycle. Paul Ray, senior interior designer at NDE, is a keen rider. "I enjoy the sensation of being at one with my bike and wanted to capture that feeling in Qazana," he says.

"The way the structure appears through the fabric of the interior also reflects motorcycle design and construction."

Accentuating the practical side of the car, Qazana has 'floating' seats centrally mounted over a one-piece rubberised floor covering, creating an openness in the cockpit. Grooves cut in the flooring are replicated on the seats themselves.

The dashboard is dominated by a centrally mounted screen. As well as doubling as a navigation display, it will deliver vital information relating to Nissan's next generation fully electronic ALL MODE four-wheel drive with torque vectoring system and other advanced technical processes found on board, including integrated communications systems. Using an intuitive touch-screen interface, the driver will be able to adjust the air-conditioning and other key vehicle settings.

This is the first picture of the Nissan Qazana concept, the small SUV crossover due to be unveiled at the Geneva show in March.

The picture doesn’t reveal much about the Nissan Qazana’s shape, but the exaggerated styling of the flared wheel arch confirms that the Nissan concept will have distinctive SUV-style looks.

The five-door Nissan Qazana concept car “hints at the direction” of the new small crossover vehicle that the company will begin to trial-build early next year.

The road car, which has yet to be named, will go into full production at the end of 2010. The production Nissan Qazana will take the place of the Micra at Nissan's Sunderland plant, where it will be built alongside Nissan’s other SUV crossover, the Qashqai.

Nissan has enjoyed great success with the Qashqai, attracting buyers of conventional hatches such as the Volkswagen Golf and the Ford Focus with its raised driving position, semi-SUV looks and hatchback practicality.